About Us

With no limit to the ways they can be used, it is no wonder Chicago Screws are a perfect fit for your next project. Due to their overwhelming versatility, Chicago Screws are a great fit for most DIY projects. These binding screws are crucial for many people in the medical, food, and entertainment industries. Originally created and used within the bookbinding industry, the adaptability and usefulness of these screws has greatly increased their popularity.

Also known as screw posts, sex bolts, tee-nuts (t-nuts) or binding posts, this versatile and unique product is available in a myriad of colors, shapes, and sizes. We offer Chicago Screws in multiple mediums including aluminum, plastic, and stainless steel. If you are interested in learning more about Chicago Screws and their many uses, browse our website. We pride ourselves on customer service and quick order fulfillment. We also welcome commercial and bulk orders, working hard to ensure accuracy and efficiency with every order. Quantity discounts apply to larger orders.

Aluminum

Aluminum Chicago screws are very versatile, non-corrosive and inexpensive. They can hold as little as a single sheet of paper, or material 7 inches thick – even thicker using extension elements. Anodizing, a coloring process effective on aluminum, allows a range of bright metallic colors from gold and black to turquoise and copper. They are used in products such as restaurant menu covers, clothing enhancers, children’s book covers and many other situations where the color can add to the marketability and attractiveness of the product.

Plastic

Another inexpensive, non-corrosive product, available in black, white and clear. These screws are often used to bind documents in a more secure way than a paper clip, but beyond that they have a strong appeal in a wide variety of uses. One big advantage is that they do not have to be threaded together as metal screws do – they can simply be pressed together (or tapped with a small mallet). This means assembly time can be reduced by two thirds, an attractive labor saving when many thousands of assemblies are required.

Solid Brass

Stronger than plastic or aluminum screws, these are commonly used in horse bridles and other farming gear. Brass will tarnish but does not generally corrode, so it is widely used where chlorine ions (salt) flourish – that is, in marine applications or where road salt can attack materials. Because it is non-magnetic it is often used in medical equipment like MRI machines and in digital computer equipment where magnetic (iron and steel) materials are not permitted.

Stainless Steel

A very high strength product, non-corrosive under most conditions and silver in color – think of a stainless steel sink. Widely preferred for exterior use where strength is required. The medical industry are big users, for assembly and pivots in orthopedic braces. The smooth surface is easy to keep clean of microbes and bacteria. However, difficulty of machining and cost of material tend to make stainless a more expensive alternative.

Black Steel

This is a mild steel product which is then plated with black zinc. It is very popular with the leather working and hunting gear industries, where it is used to produce holsters, gun slings, belts and other similar gear.

Brass Plating

Also mild steel based, but much less expensive than solid brass. It is generally used in situations that call for brass coloring but are not subject to a strongly corrosive location, such as outdoors.

Nickel Plating

Also mild steel based, this is brighter than stainless but a slightly gray silver. Most “chrome” car bumpers are nickel plated.

Zinc Plating

Again mild steel based. This is widely used where a bright silver product is required. The zinc color is very close to real silver.

How to size the Chicago screws that you need

Most situations call for the screws to be tight. This means you should generally choose a size smaller than the work to be held together. Suppose the item to be bound is ½ in. thick; then a 3/8 in. post and screw would be ideal. A standard 3/8 in. post comes with a 3/8 in. male screw, so they start to thread together at ¾ in., meaning a good tight grip will occur at ½ in. as the screw is tightened. This concept is especially important when binding compressible products like leather, paper or wood.

Chicago Screw Colors

Aluminum	A dull silver
Black Aluminum	A matte black finish
Black steel	A elegant matte black finish
Stainless steel	Shiny silver, a little more gray than nickel, like a kitchen sink
Nickel-plated steel	A bright shiny silver like a car bumper
Shiny brass	Bright shiny gold
Antique brass	A matte finish gold